As the pressure mounts to get a jumpstart on their future careers, many students struggle to find the motivation to give their all when it comes to their classwork. By interviewing several students, I have discovered that most students focus more on the grading aspect of their work than on the learning aspect of a class. They find themselves more worried they will not get an “A” than that they will not fully understand the material taught, and while this may seem like a deterrent to learning, it is possible for teachers to use it to their advantage to get students more involved in the classroom.

For a few years now, several teachers have started using the idea of taking up student’s phones and replacing them with bonus point on tests, and many students actually enjoy the idea that they are actively gaining extra points in class without having to do extra work on material that they already know. “[My teacher] gives us bonus points for [turning in our phones] every day, and just knowing that it’s there really helps a lot,” says Mia Jackman, a student here at Cass High. Another student, Minal Dalwadi agrees and says, “I think that [knowing I am getting more points] motivates me to work harder in class.”

Other students are mainly motivated by the ability to continue with their favorite extracurricular activities only by having good grades. “One of the big reasons I keep my grades up and stay motivated is because of the No Pass No Play policy,” says Keegan Krause, a member of the Cass High volleyball team. According to this policy, if students are not passing their classes, they cannot participate in the school’s sports teams.

Some students actually just “push themselves [in class] because they really want to do good because they want to feel good about themselves,” says Julia Belew, another student and staff writer of the Cass Trumpet. Students really do put themselves out there a lot when they seriously invest in their classwork, and sometimes the rejection of their work as “not good enough” can be a huge hit to their self-esteem. It is much more helpful if the teachers explain their reasoning behind a grade instead of just putting a grade on it and never talking about it again. “If students feel as though a teacher doesn’t care about them, very rarely do they feel motivated to care about their work or to try,” says Mrs. Micaela Armona, a teacher at Cass High.

When it comes down to it, students do not feel encouraged to try their hardest in class unless they can gain something from it. In order to use this information to their advantage, teachers should provide numerous opportunities for students to collect extra points and show students what their mistakes are instead of just saying that something is wrong with students’ work. Doing these things also gives students a sense of control over their grades, which can be very comforting when they feel like they cannot control their learning or academic progress.